


Untouchable

by aurumdalseni (kyo_chan)



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Comfort, M/M, Shunk, Voltron Rarepair Week 2017
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-12
Updated: 2017-02-12
Packaged: 2018-09-23 20:48:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,090
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9675917
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kyo_chan/pseuds/aurumdalseni
Summary: Hunk didn't know Shiro well enough back at the Garrison, out of reach. Now that they're paladins, Hunk is able to know Shiro and be what he needs when he needs it.





	

**Author's Note:**

> My first piece for [Voltron Rarepair Week](https://voltron-rare-pair-week.tumblr.com/) on tumblr!  
> Day 1: Past/Present
> 
> I multiship the heck out of this series in general, but I'm so comfortable in rarepair hell that I know the wifi password. This ship has endeared itself to me in a big way, and I hope you enjoy it too!

Hunk remembers all the fuss surrounding Takashi Shirogane back at the Garrison, but it had always been a secondhand experience. He and Lance were just starting their second year at the Garrison, still a little green and fighting their way through tough curriculum and even tougher instructors. It’s a key difference between the two of them, when faced with challenges, that Hunk quiets down and focuses inward. Lance reaches out for something bright to hang onto and lets it be his motivation. In this particular instance, since Lance wanted to fly and Hunk wanted to stay with both feet firmly planted on the ground, it made absolute sense that his best friend would focus on one of the most gifted pilots of their generation. 

That’s a direct quote, by the way.

They would pass in the hall sometimes, and Hunk only noticed because of the grip of Lance’s hand and that hilarious whisper that’s not a whisper of, “there he is!” It was his cue to look up and think, ‘oh hey, he’s pretty tall’ or ‘he looks like a nice guy’, but that was about it. Hunk had pretty much resigned himself to the thought that all the hero worship and gossiping made Shirogane distant, untouchable, no matter what his smile might have been saying. 

The moment would pass and then it was back to staying up too late, fighting with Lance about not eating terrible food while they studied for midterms, life as it should be. Hunk didn’t think much about Takashi Shirogane otherwise until the Kerberos mission. It was sad, the whole thing, it made Hunk even more terrified to board a ship, even the simulator…

“You did excellent out there, Hunk.” The praise is accompanied by Shiro’s hand on his shoulder, a gesture he’s come to associate with comfort and reassurance. It is a gesture that is all Shiro, and Hunk leans into it just as readily as the rest of the team would.

“Thanks, man. I had my doubts.”

“You always do, Hunk,” Lance chides him, pulling off his helmet. “Have a little faith.”

“Lance is right,” Shiro tells him, giving a little squeeze with his hand before pulling away. Lance looks like his face is gonna break with the grin that shows up.

Hunk watches Shiro head off towards his room, and he notices there’s something off about the set of his shoulders. In spite of his encouraging words, it’s clear -- at least to Hunk -- that something got to him. This is the Shiro he knows now, highly adored like before, trusted with their very lives, but if he seems untouchable, Hunk knows it’s only because Shiro doesn’t want to burden any of them. Hunk has spent long enough gravitating closer to Shiro that he doesn’t really see the point. With their bonds growing stronger, they all share the burden of one another’s insecurities. Hunk often finds himself wanting to be the rock, and doesn’t fail to see the humor in the sentiment either. He’s grown to love this less-put-together, broken Shiro. 

When he shows up unannounced with some leftover food from his cooking adventures the day before, Shiro seems surprised. Hunk wonders when he’ll ever start believing he deserves this. Shiro looks tired, he often does, the weight of his position dragging him down at the shoulders, gathering in dark shadows under his pretty eyes. Hunk gently bullies him back into the room before he can protest the company and sits him down on the bed. Maybe he’s not the best pilot, and he’s still shaky as hell in battle, but this? This he knows, this he can do. 

“Hunk, you really don’t have to--”

“Shhh.” The sound he makes is accompanied by his finger over Shiro’s lips. He follows it up with a caress along his jaw. “You just sit there. I’m gonna take care of you.” He leans down, kisses his forehead. 

“Hunk--”

“What did I say, Shiro?”

A huff of breath, Shiro is as close to pouting as he can be. It’s endearing, but he’s listening now. “You said you would take care of me.”

“Good.” Hunk places a knee into the bed to steady himself while he stays close to Shiro. He picks up the first bite and presses it to Shiro’s lips. There is no resistance, Shiro knows what he’s supposed to do. The food is gone in an instant. “I’m here. Just take it slow.”

“Okay.” 

It carries the weight of a ‘yes, sir’, but Hunk doesn’t need to hear the words, only the sentiment. With every careful bite, the tension in his shoulders starts to loosen, and Shiro sags a bit, his hands folded between his knees, eyes falling closed. 

This is the Shiro Hunk knows now. Strong and focused when the time is right, when they need a leader. Sometimes he stumbles, sometimes he doesn’t know which order to give, sometimes a battle leaves him shaken. Hunk will be there for him, he knows he can do this for Shiro, and he offers it with orders that are firm because of how much he cares. He bosses Shiro around behind closed doors because that’s what Shiro needs. Hunk is far more comfortable doing it than he ever expected, and Shiro is still learning not to fight giving in. It’s okay, Hunk will wait as long as he has to.

Shiro finishes his food at Hunk’s pace and the dish is set aside. Hunk settles more completely against Shiro’s pillows, and reaches for him when he doesn’t move from his spot at the edge of the bed. 

“C’mere, hon.”

Big arms gather Shiro up, settling him against Hunk’s warmth. He’s done resisting, eyes half-lidded as Hunk folds him into a safe embrace. Shiro tucks up under his chin with a hand wrapped tightly in Hunk’s shirt. As if to make him feel even more secure, Hunk braces his heels into the mattress, knees drawing up protectively. “I’ve got you, Shiro.”

“Okay.” 

Hunk stays with him for the night. He doesn’t ask what set Shiro off in the first place, doesn’t expect anything out of him until he’s ready. But he is there, like he promised, smoothing the wrinkles in his brow with tender fingertips or a brush of lips as he sleeps. He rubs Shiro’s back when his leader mumbles incoherently about things Hunk can’t see. Yes, Hunk affirms, when Shiro smiles, it’s nice, and he is tall. But here and now, he fits against Hunk’s body so well. No longer untouchable, and every bit his.


End file.
